Rasputin, the Mad Monk

Grigori Rasputin was born in 1872 in Siberia. He is often referred to as "The Mad Monk", but he wasn't actually a monk, he was more like a Preacher. He claimed to have mythical healing powers, which was confirmed by many sources.

Although he attended school, Rasputin never learned to read or write. When he came of age he joined a monastry, but his calling didn't last long and he soon discovered the pleasures of the opposite sex. At 19 he returned home, married and had four children. But this didn't suit him, and he decided to try his luck travelling the globe as a "Faith Healer". He claimed to possess special powers that enabled him to heal the sick and survived off the donations of the people he had 'cured'. He was also known to make a sly buck or two on the side as a Fortune Teller.

The Tsar

Whilst in St. Petersburg, Rasputin met the Tsar Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra. Their only son, Alexei, suffered from Haemophilia. This disease is a problem in the blood stream that doesn't enable the victim to clot. Effectively, a small cut could bleed on for hours without stopping. Physicians were unable to help Alexei, and the Tsarina became frustrated.

During a particularly bad bleeding episode the Tsar called in Rasputin. Rasputin somehow managed to stop the bleeding, became a bit of a hero and started living around the tsars. He was said to have great influence over Alexandra and supposedly manipulated her. He became a resentment of Nicholas and his powerful peers, but he was afraid to send Rasputin away for fear of being blamed for killing Alexei.

Rasputin's influence grew and grew, but hit a peak during World War I when the Tsar was at the front. In his absence, Nicholas II left his wife in charge of the Imperial Government. However, given that she was German and the Russians were at war with the Germans, the general public did not particularly like her or trust her with their affairs. Rasputin began to advise the Tsarina and it is believed that they began to have an affair.

Rumors spread throughout the palace, and resentment grew and grew.

The first person to suspect that all was not well with Rasputin was Peter Stolypin, Russia's newly appointed Prime Minister. He believed that Rasputin was evil and advised the Tsar to distance himself. Stolypin even supplied the Tsar with documented evidence of Rasputins various wild antics. The Tsar dismissed these misgivings as he did not want to upset his wife, who had grown to trust Rasputin (she believed that her son would remain healthy as long as Rasputin was around).

When he initially arrived in St. Petersburg, Rasputin built up quite a band of followers within the Russian Orthodox Church. However, as rumours began to circulate about the various (and numerous) women that Rasputin was seducing, including many in the palace, these supporters began to turn on him and attempted to banish him. One by one, these opponents began to disappear, possibly by order of the Tsarina. Whilst the Russian populous began to believe that Rasputin had some form of hypnotic control of the Tsar and Tsarina, the Tsar himself was being pushed close to insanity by the constant rumours about Rasputin and his wife.

In 1915, the Tsar (on the advice of his wife) went off to the front to take direct command of his troops fighting the Germans. This left Alexandra (and Rasputin) in charge of the Imperial Government. Rasputin continued to advise the Tsarina and together they led Russia into the revolution that led to their downfall.

The Legend of the Killing of Rasputin

By now a group of aristocrats had decided that Rasputins influence had grown too great and that he needed to be disposed of if the Russian monarchy was to be saved, despite the will of the Tsar. The aristocrats, led by Felix, used Rasputins much publicised love of women to lure him to his death. They promised to introduce him to a beautiful woman, Felix's wife, Irina, but after she decided not to go through with it, the plans changed.

They created the illusion of her being there, and lured him to the cellar and offered him pastries which contained lethal amounts of potassium-cyanide. He declined, but eventually indulged himself. This poison was supposed to make an immediate effect, but he was showing no signs of dying. Growing impatient, Felix took a pistol and shot him.

After a few minutes, the conspirators noticed that Rasputin was still breathing, and convulsed. The murderers, under the impression he was dead, and went to celebrate. About an hour later, Felix went and saw his body. He shook him and felt his body. It still felt warm! As he went to leave, Rasputin showed signs of being alive.

Quickly, Rasputin got to his feet and throttled Felix. Felix freed himself and rushed to tell the others that he was still alive.

Rasputin ran across the courtyard, yelling "Felix, Felix, I'll tell everything to the tsarina." A conspirator shot him in the back and again in the head. Rasputin crawled on the ground, and the shooter struck him with his foot on his head.

By this time, Felix, thoroughly shooken, felt the need to mutilate him, and took a dumbell and bludgeoned him with it. They then bound him and threw him into a river.

But conclusive evidence found water in Rasputin's lungs, showing that he drowned to death. After being shot three times, bludgeoned and poisoned, it was the waters that killed him.

Fact or Fiction?

Some say that this Russian legend is fabricated and not an accurate description of the truth. Although his body was found to have multiple stabs and shots, there is still a certain doubt about the legitimacy of the accounts.